Weird and Wonderful Suffolk

Weird and Wonderful Suffolk: The unexpected attractions you didn’t think you’d find in the county

Suffolk is a glorious county with so much traditional beauty, from it’s magical woodlands and wetlands to its panoramic coast lines and postcard pink cottages. But Suffolk also has a mysterious side! From Thumb Wrestling to Pea Eating competitions. Suffolk has experienced it all.

Rendlesham Forestcredit: Emily Fae

Visit Suffolk has looked deep into the weird and the wonderful attractions and things to see and do in the county in 2019 because Suffolk really is the place that keeps on surprising!

Rendlesham UFO Walks

Rendlesham Forest, located in Woodbridge, is the home to numerous UFO sightings which took place over a series of nights in December 1980 by the US Airforce. Since these sightings, the area has continued to fascinate UFO enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists alike. In fact, residents and visitors believe that these mysterious events are the most significant UFO incident to have ever occurred in the UK!

Today, you can walk the UFO trail with the help of the Forestry Commissions leaflet which can be picked up on site. This is a great excuse to get out into the Suffolk countryside and let your imaginations run wild with your friends and family!

For the second year, The Spirit of Beowulf Festival returns to Woodbridge for four days of magic, music and mystery on the banks of the beautiful River Deben with the theme of “Journeys”.

The festival celebrates the town’s links with the historical poem and is certainly an unexpected find in the county.

Last year the festival brought literary lovers, families, local residents and tourists to the town with a host of talks, walks, open mic nights and craft demonstrations to name a few! This year, Doctor Sam Newton, will be giving a fascinating talk on the hidden indications that the poem may have been composed in the Wuffing kingdom of East Anglia during the eighth century, using older verse traditions reaching back to the sixth century!

Splat Quack Go – The Black Ditch Mud Run – Saturday 15 June

This is a fun run unlike anything else in Suffolk. The infamous ‘Black Ditch’ is Suffolk’s muddiest OCR and is the location to this years filthiest obstacle course to date! Wade through boggy swamps and muddy pools across 40 obstacles. Built for all abilities, this is a great activity to try this year! Whether you walk, run, or waddle your way through, all participants will receive a goody bag!

And just to keep you on your toes, each runner will be offered a rubber duck at the start of the race. For every duck that makes it back to the finish line, 50p will be donated to the charity ‘Fresh Start New Beginnings’. Will you give it a go this year?

Bures Dragon

The legend of Bures Dragon dates back to 1405 when the first sighting of the dragon was recorded by a local monk and then by numerous people thereafter. The legend of a terrifying beast that terrorised the area is a fascinating one and has given the area its association with myth and legend ever since. Several churches in the area have depictions of dragons on their walls, including a 15th-century painting of the creature in the Wissington Church a few miles from Bures.

In honour of this legendary dragon, and in celebration of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, the Bures Dragon was etched into a hill in 2012, and whilst the etching is on private land, it can be seen from a distance. Do you think your brave enough to hunt out the Bures Dragon?

Taxidermy at Ipswich Museum

Ipswich Museum has a vast array of Victorian Cabinets filled with exotic foreign animals and birds from across the world. Whilst Taxidermy may not be for everyone, the spectacle lying within Ipswich Museum really is something to behold.

Wonder your way through and spot the only complete mounted specimen of a rare sub-species of Giraffe, an Indian Rhinoceros alongside the first Gorillas ever seen in Britain. They even have a large diorama of African animals built in 1906.

Their vast collection of British birds is considered to be one of the most important and complete collection in the country.

No matter which weird or wonderful experience you take on this year in Suffolk, you’ll be sure to have an unique time with your friends, loved ones and family members!

Yes, Suffolk even has a Sausage festival and it’s back by popular demand for 2019! Best part? They also have an adorable Dachshundmascot called Teddie!

The Great Framlingham Sausage Festival is a celebration of the great, mouth watering sausages which are made in East Anglia. The festival takes over the whole town of Framingham and becomes a sizzling hive of sausage madness!

With plenty of Sausages to eat, stalls to peruse and family activities and entertainment, this festival is certainly worth a visit for all those foodies out there!